An everyday skincare shelf should be boring in the best way. A gentle cleanser, something hydrating, one treatment, a moisturizer and a sunscreen you don't mind wearing. That is the whole routine, and the rest is extra. The first group covers the basics. Youth To The People's Superfood cleanser or Prakti's cream cleanser for washing, Biossance's toner mist for a bit of hydration, Tatcha's Water Cream or Sincerely Yours' So Soft for moisture, and Beauty of Joseon's Day Dew sunscreen to finish. Sofie Pavitt's micellar pads are the backup for the nights you can't face the sink.

What makes a good shelf is formula, texture and where each product sits in the routine. Introduce one active at a time, otherwise you can't tell what worked. For most people that first active is a vitamin C in the morning, like Tatcha's serum, or a retinoid at night, like RoC's Retinol Correxion cream or Peter Thomas Roth's Retinol Fusion PM. Hydrating serums like Trish McEvoy's Beauty Booster and RoC's capsules fit around either one. Once a week, Goop Beauty's Microderm exfoliator or Le Prunier's Plumtox enzyme mask takes care of dullness, which is plenty of exfoliation for an everyday routine.

Consistency beats the number of steps. Go from the thinnest texture to the richest: toner, serum, eye cream, moisturizer, then sunscreen in the morning or a night cream like Kiehl's Midnight Recovery in the evening. Eye cream is optional, but Caudalie's Vinoperfect, Then I Met You's snail mucin cream and Peter Thomas Roth's Potent-C are there if dark circles bother you. A few drops of Elemis's face oil over your night cream help in winter, and Summer Fridays' lip balm goes on last before bed. The Prakti set and travel kit make it easy to take the routine with you.

The best skincare shelf is the one you use every day without thinking about it. Most results come from doing the basics consistently, not from adding more products. If you take one thing away, choose a cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen you actually like, add a single treatment once those are a habit, and give it a few weeks before you judge it.